High School Changes Everything
by PlushChrome
Summary: Based on a dream I had once. It's the last week of summer before Warren returns to college and Will and Layla start their senior year. But... Will's been acting strange lately. Can Warren and Layla find out what's wrong? Or is Will changed forever? WillxLayla romance, WillxWarren FRIENDSHIP no slash. Rated T for violence.
1. Prologue: Happy Birthday!

_Earlier that summer:_

"Happy birthday!" Layla said, handing a small package to Will. Smiling, Will took the box and opened it, revealing a small silver pin in the shape of a badge, with "HERO" engraved on the front in red lettering.

"Thanks, Layla," Will said, pinning it to his jacket. She smiled. "That's for saving the world again last week," she said, pulling an envelope out of her jacket pocket. "_This_ is your actual birthday present."

Will took the envelope and opened it, wondering what she could have gotten him. He pulled a card out of the envelope and looked at it suspiciously. A birthday card? No, it had to be some kind of trick, Layla had a mischievous side to her.

Holding it at arms length, he opened it slowly and- nothing happened. Letting out a deep breath, he pulled it closer to his face and started to read it.

"I hope you have a happy birthday," He read aloud. "May nothing dampen your spirits. Not even this."

Suddenly, he was splashed with ice cold water from behind. Letting out a gasp, Will sat in his chair, stunned, as Layla, his parents, and his many other friends laughed. Warren stepped out from behind Will, smirking and holding a now empty bucket.

"Happy birthday, Stronghold," he said, trying not to laugh. Will found his voice and stood up, soaking. "Y-you!" He said, pointing at Layla as he shivered from the water. "You set m-me up!"

He was trying to act angry, but he couldn't help but laugh as he walked to the kitchen to get a towel. As annoying as it was to have your girlfriend and your best friend team up to prank you, he wouldn't trade the two of them for the world.

* * *

After the party was over, Will took all the gifts he'd received and went to his room. Not only had he gotten presents from his friends and family, he'd gotten a little something from just about everyone at school, ranging from cheap birthday cards to red and blue T-shirts to new iPods. The price you pay for being the superhero poster-boy.

Not that he'd ever complain or anything, but sometimes Will did wish he could just be a normal high-school super-powered kid. But, he would graduate next year, propose to Layla, and they'd start their own family of super-powered real-estate agents. Who save rainforests.

Smiling at his future plans, Will began sorting the rest of his presents into three piles: things he liked, thing he had absolutely no use for, and things he would never have picked out for himself, but would use for a few weeks so whoever gave it to him wouldn't be disappointed.

After about a half-hour, Will picked up what looked like a dog collar and examined it. It was a choker necklace, made of black leather. It was completely plain except for the clasp, which was red. Will tossed it onto the third pile. It wasn't really his style.

After he was done sorting, he picked up everything from the first pile and dumped them onto his weight set, he moved the second pile to a shelf in his closet with all the other junk he'd received from past birthdays, and he picked up the third pile and dumped everything into a nearby laundry basket.

Turning around, he saw that he'd dropped the leather dog collar. He walked over and picked it up, looking at it. Whoever had given it to him had probably thought he'd like it simply because it had a red clasp. People had a tendency to buy him stuff because it was red or blue.

He walked over to the mirror and put the thing on. It took a little time to clasp the back, since he couldn't see what he was doing and had to be careful not to crush the flimsy clasp.

When it was on, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. _Not bad,_ he thought in surprise. _I never would have picked it, but it works. I actually kind of like it._ Standing there with his head cocked, the leather necklace contrasted with his usually bright colors in a way that made him feel... different.

Turning away, Will cracked a small smile. _I think I'll keep it on, just for a little while._


	2. Chapter 1

Will groaned as he heard the distant sound of his alarm clock. The colors and blurs of his dreams faded from memory as he slowly came to, breathing a sigh of relief as he turned off the annoying buzzer.

He laid there for a few minutes, rubbing his head with his hands. He was so tired. Even though he slept all night, he was always tired lately, which only intensified an ever-present headache he'd been developing for some time.

Rolling out of bed, he reached into his closet and pulled out the first clean shirt he found, a faded blue one with red trim. Then he grabbed his favorite black jacket and slipped into his favorite black tennies, and he went down into the kitchen.

He sat down at the table and picked up a slice of bacon, biting into it as his mom set down a plate of eggs. "Will!" She said disapprovingly. "Aren't those the same jeans you wore yesterday?" Will looked down at the faded black jeans. Now that he thought about it, they were the same pair. "Uh... Yeah," he said. His mom shook her head.

"Will, what's wrong?" She pleaded. "You've been acting so... different lately, I don't know what to do!"

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm fine mom," he said. "Why can't you just mind your own business?" His mom pursed her lips. "William Stronghold," she said sternly. "You will not take that tone with me!"

"I'm sorry, mom," Will said. "I... I just have a headache this morning, that's all." At this admission, Josie's expression softened a bit.

"Will," she said, trying again. "Please, tell me what's wrong. We've all been worried, not just me. Your father, and Layla, and Warren, too! Even Zack noticed that something was off."

_Oh, so now she's calling my friends stupid,_ Will thought. _Some mom._ Will glared at his eggs, knowing he would be in trouble if he turned his gaze to his mom.

"Nothing's off," he snapped. "I just have a headache! It's not the end of the world!" Then he stood from the table and marched through the front door onto the street, slamming the door behind him.

Immediately, he felt guilty for the way he'd treated his mom. She was just trying to help, and she was right, Will had been feeling different lately. Why couldn't he just admit it? She'd probably be able to help.

_Why would I need her help?_ He thought. _I'm just fine without it! Everybody's just being paranoid about nothing. Why can't they just accept me for who I am?_

Will sighed, rubbing his forehead. It was true. They were all just paranoid. Why _couldn't_ they accept him? So what if he liked to wear black every now and again? So what if he wore the same pants two days in a row? It wasn't like he was an evil villain or anything, he'd just changed a little bit over the summer. Everybody changes eventually.

* * *

Warren was walking over to Layla's house to meet up with her and Will. They were all going to go to the mall today to hang out with Zack, Ethan, and Magenta, before Warren left for college next week.

Warren walked slowly, taking the time to enjoy the peaceful quiet that surrounded him. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy having friends, no, he'd gotten used to hearing the mindless chatter of the younger students.

He walked slowly because as bad as he felt for even thinking it, he really didn't want to be around Will right now.

He frowned as he walked, thinking of the change that had taken over his best friend that summer. He barely recognized Will anymore. It had been gradual, just a little bit of change at a time, but he had seen it coming.

From the very first day that Will had worn that stupid collar, Warren had seen what was going to happen. After all, he was an expert on change. But that wasn't what made his blood boil more than usual. What bothered him was what Will had begun to change into.

Will had been a put-together, collected, level-headed individual, now he was thoughtless, sloppy, and moody. He didn't care what he looked like, he didn't care what he said, he didn't care that he'd lost his appetite, and therefore, quite a bit of weight, he just didn't really care about anything. And it made Warren angry.

Out of all the people in the world to turn into what Warren had once been, why did it have to be Will Stronghold? The calm, easy-going, friendly little idiot who had managed to turn even Warren to the good side all those years ago?

Warren reached Layla's house and walked up the walkway. Knocking on the door, Layla's mother answered with a smile. "Warren!" She said. "Come on in! Layla and Will are waiting for you upstairs."

"Thanks, I'll head up right away," Warren said stepping into the house and making his way to the staircase leading up to the lounge. That was where they usually hung out when Warren was in town.

About halfway up the stairs, Warren stopped. He heard Will and Layla in the lounge, arguing. Layla was trying to get Will to open up, and Will was telling her to mind her own business. Warren fumed. He had to get himself under control before he went into the room, or he'd lose control and do something he'd regret.

After about five minutes, Layla and Will quieted down, and Warren finally felt it was safe enough for him to go the rest of the way up.

When he stepped into the room, he looked Will over in disgust. The boy was wearing dirty black jeans, a faded blue T-shirt, black shoes and a black jacket. His hair was messy like he hadn't combed it in a couple of days, and he had that stupid dog collar around his neck.

If Layla hadn't been in the room, Warren would have punched the little squirt right then and there. Of course, it wouldn't really accomplish anything, Will had long since discovered that anyone who punched him ended up in more pain than he did, but it would have made Warren feel a little better.

But Layla hated violence, and she still loved Will, so Warren wasn't going to be the one to start anything. Yet.

"Hey, Warren," Layla said, obviously upset but trying to hide it. "Ready to go?" Warren nodded. "Yeah," he said shortly. "Let's go." He just had to put up with Will for a couple of hours, then he could make up some kind of excuse to leave, and he could spend the rest of the day setting fire to the stock of wood he kept hidden in a secret room in his basement.

* * *

When they arrived at the mall, Will looked around disinterestedly. He'd been here a thousand times, he'd seen everything there was to see. Why did his friends insist they hang out here?

"Hey guys!" Magenta called from the other side of the food court. Layla waved and the three of them made their way to the occupied table. Sitting down, Will glanced at his three friends before scanning the crowded food court, looking for...he didn't exactly know what he was looking for, he just felt like he was supposed to be waiting for something.

Zack and Magenta were talking animatedly about something, but Will had tuned them out and focused absently on the glint of sunlight on one of Ethan's gold chains.

They all had changed since freshman year, Magenta wore more earthy colors along with her standard magenta, and she wore her waist-long dark hair in a braid. Zack had developed a trendy look, utilizing his love for whites and greens in a more subtle way.

But Ethan had changed the most out of the three of them. Still one to pull off orange, Ethan had gone hip-hop. He wore baggy sweat-pants with matching jackets, brand-name sneakers that were somehow always miraculously clean, he had an assortment of visors that he put on sideways, backwards, upside down, and pretty much every other way except straight, and he was rarely seen without his shades and a few gold chains.

Oddly enough, it was a good look for him, and Ethan had been getting pretty popular with the other students, despite his being a sidekick.

A sudden sharp pain in his head made Will wince slightly, and as he rubbed his forehead, he realized that everyone was looking at him. "Will, are you alright?" Layla asked, concerned. Will opened his mouth and said "Yeah, I'm fine, just a slight headache..." Then he mumbled that he needed to use the bathroom and got up from the table.

He walked away slowly, aware that his friends were watching him leave, but he didn't care. They could stare all they wanted. It wouldn't change anything.

He swung open the bathroom door and leaned over the sink, staring at his reflection in the mirror. What was wrong with him lately? Why couldn't he hang out with his friends, and talk and have fun, like he used to?

_Maybe it's not my fault,_ he thought. _Maybe we're just... growing apart. Think about it... nobody really understands me anymore... they all just want me to stay the same, forever, and they can't accept me for who I am..._

His thoughts were interrupted as the door swung open and Warren walked in. He looked at Will for a second, and then walked over to the sink next to him and started washing his hands.

Will ignored him and continued staring at his reflection. He had dark circles under his eyes, which didn't really make sense, because he'd been sleeping all night long every night. "I feel so heavy," he blurted suddenly, momentarily surprised that he'd spoken at all.

_Why did you say that!?_ He thought. _Idiot! Now he's gonna be suspicious!_

"Alright," Warren demanded, turning off the sink and facing Will. "What's going on? And don't say 'nothing,' because you and I both know this isn't you."

Will frowned in confusion, trying to come up with something to say. He wanted to tell Warren everything, he wanted to tell him about the headaches, and the exhaustion, and the feeling of hopelessness he felt in the pit of his stomach.

_Why would he care? He doesn't care about you anymore, he doesn't like the real you. He just wants you to stay the same old Will Stronghold that he picked on Freshman year._

He finally managed to mutter an "I don't know..." before the headache returned. "I'm fine," he snapped. "I just have a headache! Why are you all making such a big deal about it? You, Layla, my mom... Why can't you all just leave me alone and let me live my own life!"

Warren frowned, instinctively clenching his fists. Will clenched his as well, ready for the attack that never came. With a slight hiss, Warren turned and stomped through the door back into the main part of the mall. Will smiled.

_See, you don't need friends like him, who just treat you with contempt and leave you when you need them. You're much better off alone._ Alone. He was alone, driving off his best friends. He hated himself. _And I hate all of them! Why waste my time on them? They don't want me_ or_ deserve me._

With that, he flew up to the window and opened it, making sure that no one saw him. When the coast was clear outside, he flew through the window and landed on the ground outside. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he began the walk home.

* * *

Warren walked away from the bathroom, ignoring the anxious glances of his friends still seated at the table. He walked away, as far away from the bathroom as he could, trying to focus on_ not_ burning down the mall along with the little jerk's stupid face.

He reached the other side of the mall in no time, it seemed, and went into a dim little store he'd never really paid attention to before. It was a store that sold metal-wrought stuff and decorative things, and Warren absently browsed as he tried to cool down.

He was only trying to help. It was obvious that something was bothering Stronghold, even though he wouldn't admit it. Warren just wanted to find out what was wrong and fix it, so Will could go back to normal and they could all be friends again.

But no, Will had to be stubborn and Warren had to get mad about it. Warren had changed a lot since his junior year, when he first met Stronghold and his sidekick friends, but he still was not a very patient man, and he had truly felt like strangling the younger boy a few moments ago.

He wished he had Layla's patience. If he was that patient, maybe he'd have been able to ignore Will's hostility and drag the truth out of him. But no, he was a hot-headed impulsive, and that was why he was here now.

Warren noticed a fountain in the back of the store, and walked up to get a closer look at it. It was a detailed dragon, sculpted from stone, climbing a rocky outcropping, which formed the base of the fountain. A waterfall cascaded beside the dragon, and bubbled and splashed in the basin, which had been lit up with red lights to give the impression of heat.

Warren glanced around to make sure no one was coming, and then he reached out his hands and stuck them in the water. It was nice and cool, and he felt some of his anger dissipate immediately. He took a deep breath and glanced at the dragon. In a bizarre way, he felt like that dragon. Fiery, angry, always ready to fight, but needing a bit of water every now and then, to cool him down.

Feeling a bit better, Warren made his way back to the table. He sat down next to Layla, who looked even more upset than she had that morning. He wasn't surprised to see that Will hadn't returned. The coward had probably gone home by now. But he still felt sorry for Layla.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Things'll get better, I promise." Layla nodded and looked down at her lap. "Yeah," she said, trying to sound optimistic. "When life gives you lemons..." She smiled sadly and even let out a small chuckle. "Make apple-juice."

Warren didn't get it. But he didn't have to. If it made Layla smile again, even if it wasn't a very happy smile, he was grateful. She shouldn't have to go through this. She was the nicest person Warren knew. He sighed. All he knew was that Will had better have a good reason for acting the way he did and hurting Layla, or else he'd have Warren to answer to.


	3. Chapter 2

Will came in through the back door of his house, feeling a strange sense of pleasure at what he'd just done. Mixed with this pleasure was feelings of guilt and something else he couldn't quite place. All in all, he was very confused about his feelings in general.

So when his mom asked him why he was home so early, he shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I'm just home early. Why does it matter to you?"

His mom raised her eyebrows. "I was just wondering, that's all," she said. "You don't need to take that tone with me."

Will shrugged again, and, grabbing an apple, ran up the stairs to his room.

Shutting the door behind him, he had the sudden urge to listen to music. Really loud, just to bug his parents. Turning on the radio, he searched through the stations until he found some kind of screaming rock song and then cranked up the volume so his parents would hear.

Now he was angry. It was surprising that simply turning the radio on to scream-o music infuriated him. He had been upset at himself for walking out on his friends, he'd been upset at himself for being rude to his mom, but this... This was just too much.

He wasn't even sure why he'd turned it on, he hated this kind of music.

_But this is the new me,_ he thought. _Maybe I should give it a chance, let the sounds soak in for a while._

Closing his eyes, he laid down on the bed and focused on the music.

After awhile, he had succeeded in giving himself a huge headache and a thoroughly bad mood, and he had a sense of triumph and accomplishment.

Finally, it seemed, his mom could take no more.

"William Stronghold, turn that off this instant!" She said, bursting into his room without knocking and turning the radio off herself.

_Finally, some action!_ He thought in surprise. Had he really been baiting his parents? "Mom," he whined. "I was listening to that!"

"I don't care!" His mom said. "You can listen to any music you like when you're out of this house, but when you're inside, you bide by my rules. That song is vile, and even if you'd wanted to listen to it, you could have done so quietly, instead of blasting it throughout the house!"

"Why can't you just leave me alone!?" Will snapped. "Let me listen to the music I want to listen to, wear the clothes I want to wear, do what I want to do! I'm a senior now, I should be allowed to live my life the way I want to live it!"

"But you're still living in my house!" His mom said. "And until you move out, you're going to obey me, young man, senior or not!"

Will glared. "Fine!" He yelled. "I'll turn down the radio!"

"Oh, it's too late for that," His mom said. "You're grounded, Mister!"

"What!?" Will yelled. "That's not fair!" "It is very fair," His mom said, leaving the room. "I'm grounding you because of this attitude that's suddenly cropped into you. You are not leaving this house, young man, until you learn to control this new temper of yours!"

With that, she shut the door, leaving Will alone in the room. Angry, he picked up his weight set and bent it over his knee. He seriously wanted to throw it through the door, but something held him back. Call it his last sense of self preservation.

He stormed and fumed for several minutes, until he was so worked up he couldn't even think coherently.

He was happy. For some reason, he was insanely happy that he had been grounded. And at the same time, he suddenly felt like the walls were closing in around him.

He thought wildly that he'd gone insane, and then he couldn't take it anymore.

He had to get out, he couldn't stay here any longer. Going up to his window, he opened it and stepped out onto the low roof. His mom, even knowing that he was being rebellious, never once thought he'd disobey her to the extent of running away from a grounding.

Once in the fresh air, he breathed a small sigh of relief, but he was still feeling trapped. He felt an urgency, a need, to get out of here right now. He couldn't stay here a moment longer. Flying into the air, he didn't care if he was seen or not. This was his chance, his one chance at freedom.

Without even a backwards glance at the home he was leaving behind, he soared away as fast as he could, feeling a strange sense of happiness for every block he passed that led away from his house.

And that very happiness broke his heart.

* * *

Layla had just reached the Stronghold house when Will shot into the air and out of sight, almost before she had registered he was there at all. She knew instinctively that something was very wrong.

Running into the house and leaving the door open in her hurry, she called out desperately for Mrs. Stronghold, who came running out of the library. "Layla?" She asked, wiping the corner of her eye and placing her glasses on her face. "Layla, what's wrong?"

"Will," Layla said. "Will just took off flying, I saw him as I came up the walkway. What's happened, why did he leave?"

Mrs. Stronghold looked shocked, angry, and heartbroken at the same time. "We got in a fight," she said. "And I grounded him. I can't believe he would disobey me like that!"

Layla felt like she couldn't breathe. "Do you think he could be running away?" She forced herself to say. Mrs. Stronghold shrugged. "I don't even know anymore," she said. "He never was one to run away from his problems, but... he's so changed now, I can barely even recognize him these days!"

They were both crying now, each of them trying to comfort the other. As Will flew away, the people he left behind cried over how much he had changed and how unable they were to help him.

* * *

That was how Warren found them.

He had been on his way to try and talk some sense into Will, now that he had cooled down a bit. He wasn't expecting to find the front door wide open and the two women crying inside.

"What's going on?" He asked, feeling dread creep up inside him. He feared he already knew the answer. Layla turned to him.

"Warren!" She cried. "Warren, Will's gone! He flew away when I showed up, he's running, Warren. I don't know why, and I don't know where he's running to, but he's running."

Warren could feel his anger bubbling up inside him like a volcano. His hands caught fire without him even meaning to, and he turned and walked purposefully out of the house.

Layla ran after him. "Warren," She said. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to find that little squirt and I'm going to bring him home," he said. "And so help me, if he puts up a fight..."

Layla shook her head. "No," she said. "No violence." "But Layla," Warren protested. "What if he doesn't come quietly?"

"I don't care!" She said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "No violence, not as long as you can help it! Now then, where do we start?"

Warren looked at her. "We?" He asked. Layla glared. "Yes, we," she said. "This isn't freshmen year, Warren. You don't have to do everything alone."

Warren sighed. "Fine," he said. "You can help. Let's go find Stronghold."


End file.
